How to choose the right artwork size for your wall

Measure the usable width of the wall — the clear space between windows, doors, joinery or corners. A single artwork generally looks resolved when it occupies roughly 60 to 75 percent of that usable width. Below about half, it starts to read as an accessory rather than a focal point.

Above a sofa, sideboard or bedhead, aim for an artwork around two thirds to three quarters of the furniture width, hung with a gap of roughly 150 to 250 mm above it so the two elements read as one composition.

In most rooms the centre of the artwork sits comfortably around 1450 to 1550 mm above the floor. In rooms where people are usually seated — dining rooms, lounges, media rooms — drop the centre slightly so the piece is not looking over everyone's heads.

Long viewing distances and tall ceilings both push you larger. A stairwell, double-height void or wide open-plan living space can absorb a scale that would overwhelm a hallway. Detailed, quiet work rewards close viewing; bold landscapes and abstracts hold their own from across a room.

Mask the outline on the wall with painter's tape, or cut a paper template and live with it for a day. It is the cheapest way to avoid the most common regret. Our Size Studio on the Custom Art page does the same thing on screen, comparing candidate sizes against a reference wall and furniture.

When a piece is being made to order, size is a design decision rather than a constraint — the composition can be planned for the exact proportions of your wall. If you are commissioning through us, send a photograph of the space with rough dimensions and we will work the size through with you before anything is produced.